The end of incremental: A strategic reboot for CIOS and CTOS in 2025

In a 2024 EDB survey of more than 600 IT professionals across the U.S., U.K., and Germany, the organizations reporting the strongest performance, roughly 20% higher ROI than their peers, shared a common thread: full observability across their data fleet. That included hybrid Postgres® deployments, AI pipelines, and multi-cloud environments.

According to de Vries, that kind of visibility has become table stakes for any serious data strategy, because it enables something more fundamental: sovereignty. “Sovereignty isn’t just about where data resides,” he explains. “It’s about being able to move it, secure it, and put it to work. If you can’t do that, you’re not in control. And if you can’t see your data, you’re not in control of your data—and ultimately, you lose control of your AI.”

That level of control is becoming more urgent as enterprises navigate fast-shifting geopolitical, regulatory, and commercial pressures. And, as de Vries puts it, “As regulatory pressures shift and cross-border data dynamics become less certain, the ability to act on your data instantly, flexibly, and within the right jurisdiction is becoming non-negotiable. Beyond a compliance issue, it’s a strategic imperative for any enterprise building with AI.”

2. Can leaders reverse the conversation to be outcomes first, not tech first?

For decades, CIOs and CTOs have had to recalibrate strategy with every wave of infrastructure change, from the rise of the web to the shift toward cloud. Now, GenAI is accelerating that cycle again. But this time, the gap between experimentation and operationalization is vanishing, and the traditional “technology-first” approach is starting to show its limits.

“Work with vendors and technologies that have an established track record, not just new companies claiming to solve emerging AI challenges,” says de Vries. “There is immense value in developing AI solutions within the systems that already process traditional operational workloads. To maximize competitive power, leaders should think about how they extend the value of their current infrastructure with platforms that are proven and extensible.”

That shift is already playing out. According to Foundry’s 2024 “State of the CIO” report, the majority of organizations said they’re shifting toward outcomes-based investment models. In APAC, 89% of CIOs said their roles are becoming more focused on innovation and digital strategy than system ownership or platform selection.

This is where open source infrastructure, particularly PostgreSQL, gains traction. Its flexibility, interoperability, and widespread familiarity have made it central to 35% of enterprise data and AI modernization efforts today (EDB study, 2024).

“In a market defined by volatility and noise, Postgres offers clarity,” de Vries adds. “It’s open, proven, and backed by an active global community. Its versatility in handling multiple data types means every data source—no matter where it resides—combined with EDB’s investments in the EDB Postgres AI platform, makes it easier to bring all your data into your analytical and AI workflows.”

3. Are business leaders secure and ready for GenAI at scale?

In early 2024, 65% of senior leaders said they were using generative AI inside their organizations. That number has jumped to 71%, according to McKinsey. Adoption is no longer the question. The challenge now is scale—moving from isolated pilots to secure, governed, enterprise-grade AI.

And many organizations aren’t ready.

“There’s a wide gap between experimenting with GenAI and operationalizing it at scale,” says de Vries. “Without robust observability and governance, organizations aren’t in a position of strength to control cost, ensure compliance, or explain what their models are doing—let alone trust the outcomes. That’s not a technical gap. It’s a strategic liability.”

The infrastructure required for GenAI at scale is shifting fast. According to EDB’s 2024 research, 67% of enterprises in the U.S., U.K., and Germany are actively moving toward hybrid environments, not as a retreat from cloud, but as a strategic move to support secure, scalable AI.

The most advanced sectors are already leading this transition:

• 64% finance and banking
• 74% tech
• 71% telecom
• 69% manufacturing and industrial
• 54% med/pharma
• 50% government
• 43% energy/oil/gas

They’re not just adopting AI—they’re re-architecting around it. For many, that means a hybrid infrastructure that provides greater control over data, cost, and compliance.

“We’re seeing a growing divide between organizations that are using AI and those architecting for it,” says de Vries. “Our research confirms the latter group is making a decisive shift toward hybrid data infrastructure, driven by the need to turn data and AI into a sovereign data platform.”

The CIO and CTO mandate may be short enough to summarize in a post, but acting on them is another matter. The difference in 2025 will come down to the questions leaders are willing to ask and how quickly they align strategy to what the business actually needs.

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